Shoe with laminal wood sole



July 13, 1943. LEwls l 2,324,094

SHOE WITH LAMINAL WOOD SOLE Filed oct. 14, 1942 Patented July 13, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Pegwood & Shank Company,

Brownville,

Maine. a corporation of Maine Application October 14, 1942, Serial No. 462,055

4 Claims.

My invention relates to shoes, and particularly to shoes in which a wood sole is substituted for one of leather.

Wood soles formed from one piece have been used in the past but found to be objectionable as they lack flexibility which is essential to foot comfort.

A leather sole will yield in the shank when walking yet will support the arch of the foot minimizing the danger of fallen arches with their crippling effect.

Other forms of wood soles have been proposed, some having the heel and forepart hinged together. While these yield to the foot in Walking, they lack any support of the arch.

These two features 'are essential to any form of sole, and in my invention I have retained both.

One object of my invention is to provide a shoe having a sole comprising a plurality of wood laminae in substitution for a leather sole, retaining both the iiexibility and the arch support, one or the other of which is 'absent in other soles made from wood.

A further object is to provide a sole of this character which is moulded to the shape of the tread of the foot and adaptable for use with a heel and tap of wood preferably, but of other material if so desired.

My invention consists in the novel construction of the sole 'and the manner in which the upper is secured thereto.

In the accompanying specification and claims, and the drawing forming a part thereof, I have described and illustrated a preferred form of my invention, but do not confine myself to the embodiment shown as modications may be made without departure from the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shoe embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the sole.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental section of the sole showing method of cementing to insure flexibility.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the sole.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5, Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is asecton on line 6 6, Fig. 2.

Fig. 'I is a section on line '1 -1, Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a section similar to that in Fig. '7 showing a modification.

Referring to the drawing,

The sole A comprises a plurality of wood laminae, I0, II secured together at the heel and toe portions, l2, I3, by a cement impervious to water. 'Ihe shank portion I4, is uncemented as shown in Fig. 3, permitting flexing of the individual laminae.

The sole is then moulded to conform to the shape of the foot, and the heel l5, and tap 16 are applied and cemented or otherwise secured to the sole.

The tap is preferably of wood machined from one piece to t the under side of the sole forepart, but may be made from laminae, moulded into shape. If preferred, other material than wood may be employed for the heel and tap.

A preferred method for attaching the upper to the sole is shown in Fig. '7, in which the upper il, is cemented at I8 to the upper surface of the sole and a lamina I9 is cemented both to the upper, and tothe sole respectively at 20, 2 I.

This lamina may be either of wood or other suitable material. A modication of this method is shown in Fig. 8, in which the upper l1, may be sewn to the welt 23, the Welt being then cemented to the sole A, as at 24, and a lamina, I9 cemented both to the upper at 25 and to the sole at 26.

With this form it may be desirable to use an extra lamina 21, cemented to the sole surface as a ller, and the lamina i9 cemented to that.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A shoe sole comprising a plurality of wood laminae cemented together at the heel 'and forepart portions and uncemented at the shank, to form a unit.

2. A sole of the character described in claim l, moulded to conform to the shape of the tread of the foot.

3. A sole of the character described in claim l, the sole being moulded to conform to the tread of the foot, and having a sole tap of wood rigidly secured to the forepart of the sole.

4. In a sole of the character described in claim 1, the sole being moulded to conform to the tread of the foot, a sole tap of wood moulded to fit the contour of the outside of the forepart of the sole and rigidly secured thereto.

JOHN LEWS. 

